Sen. Ensign says Americans should be allowed to serve ‘regardless of their sexual orientation’

As I mentioned this morning, Chris Johnson at the Washington Blade reported yesterday that a staffer to Senator John Ensign (R-NV) told constituents that he was inclined to support repeal of DADT.

Now, via Greg Sargent, comes word from the Senator himself, in the form of a letter to constituents:

Another step forward on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, ladies and gents.

In a letter to constituents who have inquired about his position on DADT, GOP Senator John Ensign strongly suggests he is leaning towards supporting repeal of the policy, another sign that there may be enough tacit GOP support in the Senate for repeal to get it past a GOP filibuster.

“It is my firm belief that Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation, should be able to fight and risk their lives in defense of this great nation,” Ensign writes in the letter, which I’ve obtained. “As a nation currently engaged in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, the focus of all decisions affecting military readiness, recruiting and retention, and unit cohesion should be to maximize the success of ongoing operations.”

Greg notes that this is not a completely done deal. Ensign and his spokesperson both indicated that the Pentagon’s DADT study will influence his final decision:

In the letter, Ensign adds the caveat that he’s still awaiting a Pentagon report, due out on December 1st, that will gauge the impact of repealing the policy. Asked for comment, Ensign spokesperson Jennifer Cooper reiterated this point: “Senator Ensign is waiting on the report from the Pentagon and the testimony of the military chiefs to see if any changes to this policy can or should be done in a way so as not to harm the readiness or war fighting capabilities of our troops.”

But it’s already been reported that it’s set to find repeal of the policy can be done with minimal and isolated risk.

This feels like momentum.

That Pentagon report takes on added significance by the day. And, we’ve still got the timing and process hurdles to get over when the Senate reconvenes after Thanksgiving. But, it’s way better to be picking up potential supporters at this point, than losing them.